I'm not sure who makes them.
The 3xxx series of Dell color laser's were junk until the 3110cn came
out. The 5xxx series are much more reliable, have lower printing costs
(although still somewhat high), fantastic output, and are wicked fast.
The new 3110cn is pretty nice, more in line with our experience with the
5100 series. The 5xxx series printers are also easier to service, as
all major consumable parts (toner, drum, fuser, rollers) are end-user
replaceable. As for service, we've only had problems with 1, and after
a service tech missed his site-visit time Dell just replaced the whole
printer via advance-ship, at no cost to us.
Dell's major problem with all of their color printers is drum costs.
They use a single large drum module for all 4 colors which wears them
out faster than if they were individual drums. Additionally, the life
of the drum as a whole is lower than I would have expected.
Still, if you want top speed and quality from a color laser printer,
you'd be hard-pressed to beat the 5110cn for the initial purchase price.
Just be prepared to pay for it in ongoing costs.
Steven
---
Steven Dickenson <sdickenson@keyschool.org>
Computer Network Manager
The Key School, Annapolis Maryland
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Norman Maynard
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 10:18 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Printer recommendations
When it rains, it pours . . .
First of all, let me thank everyone for the help provided with wireless
issues. Though we're not out of the woods yet (or by a long shot) at
least I
feel as though we're moving in the right direction. So thanks again!
Now we need to replace our printer. We've been using a Dell 3100cn and
it's
no longer functional. I've heard fairly negative things about Lexmark
computers (which the Dells are, as far as I know) and yet a number of
review
sites, including CNET, seem to consistently have them in the top ten.
In terms of functionality, the Dell had pretty much what we needed:
networked (wired),
duplexing,
good color,
good text.
What it did NOT have was:
low cost printing (color)
good support
longevity.
If anyone has good experience with a networked laser color printer,
sub-$1000 range, for a very small school (total staff and students is
under
70), would you mind just dropping me a note privately?
Thank you!!
--=20
In peace,
Norman Maynard
Principal
Thornton Friends Upper School
Silver Spring, MD
"I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity." - Tom Stoppard
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Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
